The Tirana court has sentenced Bledar Jambelli and Kristaq Leci to life imprisonment, found guilty of ordering the murder of Chief Commissioner Artan Cuku in 2017, A2 CNN reports. Jambelli was accused by the Prosecution of ordering the murder, while Leci was the intermediary between him and Mikel Shallari, the executioner of the murder. The latter was arrested years ago and after agreeing to become a collaborator of justice, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder.
Shallari, then only 24 years old, said that he was promised a payment of 20 thousand euros for the murder and that after the crime he would be settled by them in Germany. Shallari confessed that after the incident he had only received an amount of 2 thousand euros and several small amounts of 200-300 euros sent by Leci and Jambelli from outside Albania.
On April 8, 2017, at around 8:10 PM, the former director of the Vlora Police, Artan Cuku, was shot dead at the entrance to the building where he lived in Tirana.
Investigations by the Serious Crimes Prosecution concluded that the murder was committed in collaboration and due to his duty as a police chief, classifying it as "murder of state police officers", under articles 79/b and 25 of the Criminal Code. Jambelli, previously arrested by Cuku for a murder in Vlora, was later released by the court and is suspected of ordering the murder in revenge.
On April 9, 2019, Artan Cuku was declared a "Martyr of the Homeland", and his wife was awarded the title by the Minister of Interior Sandër Lleshaj. In 2022, the Palace of Culture in Kamëz was named "Artan Cuku" and he was declared an "Honorary Citizen" of this city. (A2 Televizion)
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